D.C. is dealing with a significant wind storm right now and as I sit here writing (and listening to recycling bins skitter down the street), I wonder how much of the tree outside our apartment will come down before it’s over. But since I have no control over that, let’s look back at three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The Closing Ceremony of the Olympics in PyeongChang was very impressive. I particularly liked that spirograph act with the lines.

2. Spring is coming because we got an email about our baseball tickets today and I expect another about the garden this weekend. (I went down to the our plot last week to assess how things are going and think I’ll try to get peas in the ground in a week or so.) Also, Sock Madness kicked off today, so I know the seasonal shift is right around the corner.

3. Rudi got up this morning and went out to buy a bag of day-olds at our local bagel shop while I was still curled up asleep so there would be something to eat for breakfast.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My friend Amani texted to say she and her baby are in town and would my work pal Sarah and I want to get together. Um, yes! Ayinde is seven months old, with chubby cheeks and stubby toes and four teeth and the most adorable pompadour of soft, auburn curls. I last saw him when he was a few weeks old and he’s grown a lot since then. He’s comfortable in public and happy to let strangers hold him. Amani is looking good, although she says she’s tired, which is understandable, given she only gets to sleep a couple hours at a time.

2. Rudi and I went to see Black Panther and it was so good. I was glad I’d read the Ta-Nehesi Coates reboot of the comic (although when I read it, I’d felt like it had dropped me into the story without sufficient back story), so I knew something about Wakanda and vibranium-based biotechnology and the Dora Milaje warriors. I got tired of the fight scenes toward the end, but otherwise I liked everything about it and would watch it a second time in the theater to take in the gorgeous scenery.

3. As expected the nearly 80-degree temperatures we had this week jump-started the daffodils. As we rode past Rose Park on the bike path below, we could see the clumps starting to emerge, and they’ve appeared in south-facing yards, as well. And I saw the pink tip of a hyacinth starting to poke out yesterday, too.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my week past:

1. Pink sugar to mix into my sugar bowl for the holiday.

2. A gift reminded me of a necklace Rudi had given me that had broken. I took the pieces to the bead shop near my house and they’ve sold me the parts I need to repair it for about $6 and explained how to repair it.

3. Tuesday was Pancake Day (traditionally celebrated on Mardi Gras as a way to use up ingredients that were going to be given up during Lent). Because we lacked syrup, Rudi opted for crepes, which means one bowl makes both supper and dessert.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We’re going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York City in May!

2. My coworker brought me a couple of the fudgey cookies she made over the weekend.

3. Olympic coverage began this evening, so we got to watch some winter sports before the Opening Ceremony had even begun.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. At the plaza by my office, for the first time in 15 years, the lights are red, rather than white.

2. I did not get the comforter cover changed last weekend, so when Corey threw up all over the duvet today, at least I didn’t have to feel irritated about that.

3. Pizza sauce and mozzarella in the fridge mean that when Rudi suddenly has to work late several nights, I can make French bread pizzas for dinner.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from a week of sickness:

1. One of the last things I managed before getting sick was to go to the farmers market, where one of the bakers was selling King cakes (okay, two of them were, but the other is a French patisserie and their gâteau des rois are very European). They had several sizes, including this large cupcake-sized one, which the salesperson said she was calling a Prince cake.

2. A permit confusion meant this week’s volleyball games were canceled at the last minute. That would not normally be a cause for joy, but given I was in the middle of a respiratory illness but was still going to try playing, ended up being a Glad Game-type ending to the story. Instead, I went home and took a nap.

3. Rudi and I got the Christmas ornaments all put back into their storage containers, which has given us our laundry basket back (since that’s the only container large enough to hold them all when I take them off the tree).

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?